| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
#48 I’m in Ironwood, Michigan enjoying a Senior coffee at McDonald’s. I have now ridden my Roadster in all 48 of the contiguous (conterminous?) United States. It’s the first bike I’ve had that I’ve been able to do that. I’ve had several bikes that I put more miles on, but this Roadster is the first that I’ve ridden in all 48. I’m going to ride to the town of Wakefield and camp at Eddie Park on Sunday Lake. It’s a City park according to uscampgrounds.info, and it’s supposed to cost $12.00 or less. Usually, those are the campgrounds that are free, or there’s supposed to be a fee, but there’s nobody there to collect the money. I really like free a lot. I didn’t put on a whole lot of miles today. That’s because I spent a good bit of time buying oil and a filter, then changing the oil in a quarter car wash and washing the bike afterwards. I didn’t do a really good wash job on the bike; just enough to get the worst of the bugs off and the little bit of oil that ran down the front of the engine when I took the old filter off. I bought the motor oil and filter at an O’Reilly’s, and when the kid at the counter looked up which filter I should get, he came up with a number for a Wix filter. I really like Wix filters. I first saw them used on Construction equipment back in the late ’60s. They’re top quality filters, in my book. I’ve been running along the southern shoreline of Lake Superior, and it’s really beautiful country. I’d hate to spend a winter here though. I bet the wind off Lake Superior in January is close to lethal if you get caught out in it. Tomorrow, I’m going to start heading toward Iowa. I’m thinking that I might just have to route my trip through East Troy. I want to check out that BBQ joint at the gas station near the Interstate. And who knows; I might just see something that the public ain’t supposed to know about. I know that the odds of that happening are pretty slim, but, ya never know. I’m still hoping for my Gentleman’s Express. I think that this time, Sport Tourers will sell. However, I’m definitely biased and I’ll freely admit it. Well; I’d better go find that campground. | ||
| Crusty |
I'm going to have to find a better place than McDonald's to send out my Snippets. The one I'm in won't let me post my latest. It's a shame. Guess I'll try Blubber King and see if it's any better. | ||
| 86129squids |
RoadCrust: A while back on this thread Matthew mentioned that you should be able to configure your cel phone to be a wifi conduit wherever you go... maybe that would alleviate having to use MacD'ohnolds for anything but cheap coffee. Heck, FWIW you could easily upgrade your coffee habit from campside "instant" to something MUCH tastier if ya wanna... 'scuse me but I'm a touch of a coffee snob. Plus, I wish you only the best, especially your morning java!  Good coffee often inspires good writing, I've found! | ||
| Crusty |
I wrote these over the past couple of days Mosquitoes What a difference a morning makes. When I went to sleep last night, I thought the U.P. was one of the prettier places I’d camped at. The campground wasn’t free; it cost $10.00. However, the shower was clean and roomy and I got 6 minutes for a quarter. Cans of soda were .75 from the machine. All in all. I was very favorably impressed. I woke up before sunrise, and I could see the swarm of mosquitoes hovering outside the screen of my tent. I was smart enough to put my jacket on when I got dressed. Went over to the bathrooms, then came back and liberally coated my exposed body parts with Avon Skin-so-soft. Even so, there was a constant cloud of blood sucking parasites hovering around me. I broke camp as fast as I could, and rode the dozen miles or so to the nearest Macca’s to have my morning coffee. For years, I’ve heard stories about how bad the mosquitoes are in the Upper Peninsula. I believe them. It makes me think about the stories I’ve heard about the Alaskan Mosquitoes. I think I’ll be going there next year. I hope they aren’t as bad. Though they probably are. Thunderstorms I left Ironwood, Michigan and headed south towards East Troy. The weather forecast on Intellicast called for a 20% chance of rain, increasing to an 80% chance of thunderstorms later in the afternoon. I didn’t get 20 minutes down the road before I had to stop and put on my rain gear. It rained fairly steadily for a while, then it looked like it was clearing up after a couple of hours. That was just a false impression. By the time I got to Oshkosh, I was riding through a deluge, complete with lightning, thunder and high winds. The rain eventually eased up, but it never really stopped until I reached East Troy. Mike K had sent me an e mail offering me a couch to sleep on, and I took him up on his offer. I found Mike’s house without any trouble, and we spent a quiet evening. He’s got a really nice place, with a garage I can only dream about. he kept apologizing for the mess, but he’s in the middle of a project of insulating the walls, so that accounts for most of the mess. Also, he’s housing 8 motorcycles (not all of them his), plus a good bit of shop equipment. When he gets it done, it’s going to be a dream. My bike was pretty dirty after riding through all the rain, and Mike really thought I should wash it. I was tired after riding through that same rain and passed on the opportunity. I know what I’d do. Once I got started, I’d be cleaning until midnight. I get that way sometimes. Instead, we talked about motorcycles and motorcycling . This morning, Mike treated me to breakfast in a neat coffee place on the square. He had to head to work at 7:00. He’s headed to Route 66 Raceway for the NHRA Nationals. He has to bring a bike down so that the NHRA will approve the bodywork. There are a couple of teams that will be using EBR bodywork, and the Officials have to approve it. I’m easing my way towards Iowa on back roads (Bet I get lost at least a couple of times!) It’s not that far to Matt and Lorraine’s, so I’m going to just wander and see what western Wisconsin and eastern Iowa rural areas look like. I’m in a Mickey D’s that doesn’t have any electric outlets, so I’m on battery power. I’d better get this out before my battery gets too weak. I stopped at a Burger King just to send this snippet out, and to check out how good their internet is. So far, it seems better than what McDonald's WiFi has become. That's a shame. but The Golden Starches quality in WiFi has gone so far downhill that I have to find something better. I couldn't even get into the Sportster forum and I couldn't post on either Badweb or MotoCampers. Ah well; it looks like I'll be eating Croissanwiches instead of sausage mcMuffins for breakfast. | ||
| 86129squids |
+1!!! I'd MUCH prefer a BK croissanwich over McD'oh offerings... FWIW, my fave fast food breffix if I decide to get some is Hardee's. They're consistently better, I usually can find a good coupon, and they have wifi too! Keep on keepin' on, Crusticle! | ||
| Crusty |
Iowa I’m sitting here, thoroughly satiated after having a wonderful steak dinner. I ate salad, Rib Eye, grilled asparagus and a cheddar and bacon twice baked potato. it was a wonderful ending to a busy day. Matt and I serviced Josh’s (a friend of Matt’s) Fat Boy. We took the trailer over to Josh’s early this morning and loaded the bike up and brought it back to Matt’s garage. I had to ride it back to Josh’s apartment which is about half an hour away. It was interesting riding a big twin after putting so many miles on the Roadster. The fact that it had 6” risers and 8”Ape Hanger bars and unbaffled straight pipes made it more interesting. I’ve never liked Apes, and the ride today did nothing to change my opinion. Still, the bike ran well (for having straight pipes) and it was nice to ride a Big Twin for a change. We ran a few errands throughout the day, as well; and Matt enjoys taking the long way back while showing me different sides to living in this area. It’s really nice here, and I could see me living here if it just didn’t get so freakin’ cold in the winter. That cold is the deal breaker, though. I don’t know what’s on the agenda for tomorrow. I’ll enjoy it, even if all I do is stay at the house and clean my bike. | ||
| Crusty |
Unscrewing The Inscrutable It’s an ideal Sunday morning. There isn’t a cloud in the sky, there’s a gentle breeze and it quiet and peaceful here. I’ve just been sitting and thinking about the prominent potential decisions I may be making in the not too distant future. My life is going to go one of three ways. I can buy a house and settle down, I can buy a new bike and continue the way I’ve been going or I can save enough to go back to Australia and buy a bike there. If I buy a house, then my tramping will be severely cut back. But I’ll have a home, and I’d really like that. It will stop me from going very far for a while, but I could set up my garage the way I want and I would be able to do what I want when I want. I had my own home for a while; I would dearly love to have one again. It would take all my available money for a while to get it set up the way I’d want it, but it would be worth it. The house I was so taken by in Cedaredge sold for 105K, but there are others there that are affordable. There’s a very strong pull for me to do this. Or, I could go back to Hudson, get a part time job and save up enough to fly back to Brisbane with enough cash to buy a bike, and travel around Australia. This means that I’d be putting my life on hold while I was away. It would be an adventure, but when I came back, I’d have to figure out what I want to do. Still, the way the cardiologist was acting at my last appointment, I might not have a lot of time left, and I’d hate to miss an opportunity to experience more of a fascinating country. The third choice depends on whether or not I’m right about EBR building a “Gentleman’s Express”. I think it’s coming. The signs are there. Erik has an 1190 SX with taller bars and lower footpegs. There was that photo of the SX with a windshield and soft bags that was on Badweb; it wouldn’t be that much of a step to put hard bags on one. When I rode the SX a couple of years ago, I really liked it a lot; if EBR does make a Sport Touring version, I’d be really inclined to buy one. There are more arguments for all three scenarios. When I’m cruising down the road, I have lots of time to weigh the various pros and cons of all three courses and to compare each one with the other two. Which one seems the best choice varies with my mood and outlook. My financial status insures that I'll only be able to do one of the three, so I need to examine all three as completely as I can and weigh each one against the others repeatedly. While I’m heavily leaning towards buying a house, there are factors that could stop that pretty quickly. The same holds true for the other two courses of action. No matter what happens, my life won’t be boring, by any means. And who knows? I might just win a Lottery one of these days, if I could just remember to buy a ticket. | ||
| Glitch |
Points to ponder for sure. I've been telling anyone I hear saying "that's on my bucket list" to not make a bucket list, it's just a fancy way of procrastinating. But they're young, and they don't know youth is for adventure, not so much when you retire. Its easy to say "go for it Crusty!" live life on the road! But that would be me living (as I do) vicariously through your adventures. As far as the house goes, it follows the three "L"s location, location, location. You might find a spot with adventures in your own backyard, I'm lucky enough to find such a spot. I'm no help I know, but I also think...wait what was I thinking?...... | ||
| Tootal |
In the end, options are good! | ||
| Ourdee |
Or there is option #4. All of the above. How? A little Hudson work, A little bike for Australia. (thumper with soft bags) A small house, and keep riding. I know the little bike may not be what you want, but riding Australia on a scooter beats not riding Australia. | ||
| Ourdee |
Sorry I didn't take you up on the coffee at the campsite. A few years back "Whatever" offered me some camp coffee. She likes it different than me. Matt has made fun of the face I made ever since. I said thank you and tried not to waste it. When you asked if I wanted coffee. It wasn't anything against you. I just couldn't get the other cup out of my mind. Sorry Char. Thanks for the cup of coffee. Thanks for the offer Crusty. | ||
| Crusty |
Oops! I got it wrong. In my post from Friday, I wrote that Mike was bringing a bike down to the NHRA Nationals to have the bodywork approved. I was wrong. There are bikes already running EBR bodywork, Mike was bringing a bike down to display it. My bad. | ||
| 46champ |
Kind of funny though on the NHRA web site they are still calling the bikes Buells except for the 2 the Smiths are calling Victorys. | ||
| Redridergr |
  Word has it the 1190 body is not approved yet, but are working on it. But the body in black, well I for sure approve of it! Smoking hot and smoking fast! | ||
| Crusty |
Disaster Yesterday was one of Those Days. It started when I started the bike as I was leaving Matt’s house. It didn’t sound right. I looked at it, and I’d lost both nuts from the rear exhaust pipe head studs. I went to the Harley shop in Bettendorf and got a couple and put them on. Then, the bike sounded normal. I was on my way to Cincinnati to visit with my brother. I was just east of Peoria, when I started hearing a bit of a tapping, clattering sound. I thought that maybe a lifter was going bad. Then the fit hit the Shan. The engine locked up. Seized. Stopped working. As Doctor McCoy said on Star Trek, “It’s dead, Jim.” I rolled to a stop just at the ramp of a Truck Weigh Station. So I pushed the bike into the Weigh Station, then sat there cooling off and catching my breath while trying to figure out what to do. There was nobody at the Weigh Station. However, my phone was working. I called my insurance company and made sure I had towing as part of my coverage, and they got in touch with their local service and had them send out a tow truck. I had the tow truck driver drop me and the bike at the local U-Haul place and rented a truck to haul my bike to Cincinnati. U-Haul wanted over $800.00 to do a one way to Boston, but only $224.00 to Cincy. Now that I’m here, I’m going to check out if there are cheaper options to get the bike back to Hudson. I heard that Enterprise rents pickups; if so, then I bet they’re cheaper than what U-Haul wants. Well; I wanted an Adventure. No adventure is complete without some difficulties to be overcome. This is just making the trip more memorable. Without having looked into the engine at all, I’m thinking that the problem might have been caused by the oil pump gear. If I remember correctly, there were issues with the steel oil pump gears around the time my bike was manufactured, and the steel gear was replaced with a bronze gear. I did check the oil after the engine died, and the tank was full. Now, I just have to get the bike back to Mass and figure out where to go from there. Should I buy another bike? Buy an engine from FleaBay? Or spend the money to rebuild this engine? These are the things I’ll have to decide as events progress. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. And more shit. Hey, maybe it’s a good thing and I just can’t see it. Maybe, if the bike hadn’t died, I would have been right in front of that moron who was texting and didn’t see the Stop sign. Whatever; it is what it is. I’ll deal with it as best as I can. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
If buying another bike is an option, why not pick one up in Cincinnati. Swap all your parts to the new bike and ride on. There are five dealers in that neck of the woods. I called one of my local riding bud and he knows of no one with a bike for sale. I'll keep on the hunt. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
What year is your bike? Pinwall Cycle has 9 sportster motors available They are up in Massillon, Ohio (about a hour south of Cleveland on 77) http://pinwallcycle.com/advanced_search_result.php ?osCsid=8ehkh08pf79pjsbbkeldfbg4n6&keywords=sports ter | ||
| 86129squids |
DAAAAMMMITTT!!! Best you can do, friend, is keep calm and take things as they come. Everything will sort out as it should, in time. "Time and Perseverance are The Greatest Warriors." Tolstoy | ||
| Hughlysses |
Now that I’m here, I’m going to check out if there are cheaper options to get the bike back to Hudson. I heard that Enterprise rents pickups; if so, then I bet they’re cheaper than what U-Haul wants. Or buy a used pickup there and sell it when you get to Hudson. Of course, that might turn into another adventure! | ||
| 86129squids |
+1! My GF's brother is looking for a good used truck- we found one in Alcoa that I'm gonna go look at. A Nissan king-cab from back in 1991! The thing is, I'm still driving a 1992 truck, pretty much identical, and I love it. They're asking around $1400 for theirs... these trucks are like Toyota 4-bangers, they'll run forever, as long as you make sure the timing chain/belt is maintained. Good luck, RoadCrust! | ||
| Buellish |
Let us know if there's anything we can do.I'm sure there's more avid Crusty readers than just me that will lend a hand (or a buck) where it's needed. | ||
| Kmbuell |
Well that does qualify as a "shit, shit, shit" moment. Let us know what we can do to help. Stay positive, it's just part of the adventure! | ||
| Damnut |
I'm sure you could upgrade that lump with a Buell engine................ just sayin' | ||
| Etennuly |
Well that sucks! I like your attitude about the situation. Little hiccup like this is nothing compared to having someone have your heart in their hands. That'll get you through no matter what! Go Crusty!  | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
We all know you have been working your butt off all day on this little hiccup Crusty. Can't wait to hear what you have been up to. | ||
| Zac4mac |
John, if you have to do a rebuild, call Dan and tell him I said I'd drop my charge on the top-end work. I'll let him know tomorrow. That'll save you a little... Best performing heads are XB/XL04+ with squish. Next are Thunderstorm, with a CNC squish..FYI Z (Message edited by zac4mac on July 12, 2016) | ||
| Greg_e |
No sporties around me for a reasonable price. What people are asking could get you a nice new S&S motor ready to go. | ||
| Griffmeister |
Or you could see if the dealer will give you something for it towards a street 750. Supposedly they perform as well as a Sportster, and I know my local dealer can't even give them away so they're willing to make a deal. I'm sure by morning there will be a million other ideas, too. Back on topic, that sure sucks that the old girl had such a sudden demise. I'm glad you can still keep the attitude that as one door closes another door opens. Good luck with the next phase of your travels. | ||
| Damnut |
Check out this website for the best shipping prices. https://www.uship.com/ | ||
| Crusty |
What Doesn’t Kill US… …Only makes us stronger. Or something like that. At this rate, I’ll be able to take on the Hulk pretty soon. Yesterday, I didn’t do a whole lot towards solving my dilemma. David and I unloaded the bike and returned the truck to U-Haul. We then went to Skyline Chili for lunch then went to one of the nicest movie theaters I’ve even been to (the seats were powered Recliners!) and saw Finding Dory. The movie was better than I expected. However; my subconscious was orbiting at maximum velocity. (huh?) Once we got back to the house, I looked at various possibilities and juggled a lot of different scenarios until I went to bed with a killer headache. Still, my brain was working overtime while I slept. I considered renting a truck, renting a car, buying a truck or car, going to Boston and borrowing a truck and driving back to pick up the bike, buying a used engine from Pinwall and replacing the one in the bike, everything I could think of was considered. Right now, I have a very tentative plan. It will change, I’m sure, as all my plans do, but I can fly to Boston, leave the bike here at David’s, then hopefully, borrow a pickup and come back and haul the bike back home. I know somebody who has a few pickups who will hopefully lend me one for a couple of days. This plan hinges of a few factors that I have no control over, but it’s the most affordable plan I can come up with at the present time. David will let me keep the bike here for a short while while I try to figure the best way to come get it. I was looking on Craigslist in central Mass. and found an affordable Kawasaki Concours that I could buy, so I’d have transportation, but nothing is written in stone, yet. So; if it all works the way I’m hoping, I’ll fly to Boston, buy a bike, borrow a truck and come get the dead Roadster, then sort out what my next steps will be. I wanted an Adventure. I got one. |
